Before we crack on with this week and begin swapping book titles, links and and discussion points, I'd like to highlight some of the reviews, suggestions and conversations from last week's thread.
I invited you to tell us about the books you are reading and share your recommendations. Here's a selection some of your choices and what you think of them so far:
I've been reading Gladiatrix by Russell Whitfield after it being recommended to me by a friend. In theory I should hate it; it's quite 'pulpy' and there's a sense of 'look how many controversial things I can talk about, I'm so outrageous' and the characters seem a bit one-dimensional and there's too much telling as opposed to showing. But for all that, it does move along at a pretty good pace and has kept my interest.
Have just finished Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor - often harrowing account of underclass life in Britain today. This can be a gruelling read, in its uncompromising descriptions, but it is brilliant. He doesn't patronise his characters – as writers sometimes do when writing of the 'lower orders' – we empathise with them.
The Gargoyle. In brief I was dazzled by the opening – the writing certainly witches you right into the burning car, and unforgettably. The overall metaphor of a descent into hell is clever and admirable too. But I'm finding all that is rather underused – a novel needs to be more than description, resonant parallels and exhaustive research. Three-quarters of the way through and the characters are rather unengaging and there's no sense that all might be lost. But I shall persevere.
This blog is where you can tell us about the things you'd like to read about on the site and share links to interesting bookish things. Here's a selection of some of the things asked for or were brought up in last week's thread:
• Mental health in literature – broger posted: "what about a thread about psychology in the novel? How are characters in fiction (or poetry; Wordsworth's Idiot Boy comes to mind) portrayed who have what might be described as psychological problems?"
Thanks to AggieH for reminding us about this Open thread on exactly this subject.
• Role of the newspaper review – Frip said: "a review by a paper or publication is not to be sneered at. The majority of my small number of sales have come from getting chapters in newpapers, and a slot on morning radio. I don't think that reader reviews have contributed anywhere near the same to date."
• Literary criticism – R042 wrote: "I'm getting increasingly ticked off by the spate of people writing off authors as 'unable to write' without even explaining why … Why doesn't the Guardian run a series of articles about Practical Criticism, and ways of writing about texts? The recent article about Barthes was a good start but there's an irksome trend among people writing about books to either rely heavily on authorial intent or grand but unsubstantiated accusations of 'poor style' or 'bad writing'."
• Literary legacy - frustratedartist posted: "Here's a suggestion for the Guardian Books team. I notice that Dimitry Nabokov died a few days ago, leaving no heir. It'd be interesting to see an article about the heirs of great writers – sons, daughters, surviving spouses, etc, and the way in which they try and control, or otherwise, the writer's legacy. I suppose Isabel Burton is the classic example of a widow who tried to manage her husband's reputation by burning manuscripts, but there are more recent, if less extreme examples."
Thank you for all your suggestions. I'll put them to the desk and see what they think. In the meantime, here are some of the books our critics will be writing about this week.
Non-fiction
• Middle Age: A Natural History by David Bainbridge
• Worm: The Story of the First Digital World War by Mark Bowden
• Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Very British Coup
by Chris de Bellaigue
• If Wishes Were Horses by Susanna Forrest
• From Melancholia to Prozac: A History of Depression by Clark Lawlor
Fiction
• Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander
• The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott
• Pacazo by Roy Kesey
• Various Pets:Dead and Alive by Marina Lewycka
• Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod
• My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
Science Fiction column
• Pure by Julianna Baggott
• Age of Aztec by James Lovegrove
• The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice
• The Return Man by VM Zito
Children
• Bullet Boys by Ally Kennen
Poetry
Now, it's over to you. Oh, can I also persade you to take a look at our Flickr group? There are some great pictures in there.